SWIMMERS took to Ellerton Lake in a sunset swim with the aim of raising funds to tackle children’s cancer.

Swimmers lit up the lake with their illuminated tow floats creating a visual spectacle as the sun set at Ellerton Lake, near Scorton.

The swimmers set off at dusk and could choose from 500m, 1km and 2km distances. 

The event that took place on Saturday, 26 September was hosted by the TeamLuke Foundation, a charity that raises awareness and funds for research into Neuroblastoma, a rare form of children’s cancer.

“It was absolutely wonderful and really refreshing,” said Alicia, “This is the first time we have taken part in an organised swim. My mum had seen the article (about the swim) in the paper and my dad had died from a brain tumour - so this is in honour of him.”

“It was really lovely, the water was quite warm,” said Medi Usanase, Swimmer. “The full moon is bright, and it is wonderful out there. Swimming in the dark is a bit unnerving; it was an enjoyable experience.”

“The swim was brilliant,” said Lorna Jones. “It was a bit exhausting since it was the first timeI have done something like this since my hip operation. Once you get in and start swimming the temperature is not too bad.”

The foundation was setup in memory of Luke Bell, who lost his life to Neuroblastoma in 2018.

“The support is overwhelming to be honest with you. We have always been well supported through the rugby community,” said Mark Bell, Foundation Chairman.

“It takes it to a different level when you get complete strangers turning up and wanting to support the Foundation through events like this. 

“It validates why we do what we do and allows us to do more work through the Foundation, which ultimately allows us to continue our fight against children’s cancer.

“I think Luke would have been blown away with this event. He was a bit of a water baby himself; he loved swimming and the support he had at events like this when he was around. 

“He loved the attention and would probably quite keen to get involved and would certainly be a fan of the cake.”

The foundation funds a research post at the Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) with the foundation donating over £100,000 since it started. The sunset swim is just one of the fundraising events the foundation offers each year.

“The swim was amazing, a perfect evening and the water temperature was nice,” said Anouska Roger-Smith. “This is the third year I have done it and it gets bigger each year. It is great to support the charity and important that more people get involved.”

Mark said: “The charity is completely volunteer ran with 5 trustees. Everything raised goes into the work that we do. Events like this allow us to continue to support the research such as the work we do with the Institute for Cancer Research.

“We also want to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of children's cancer are, funding is a critical part of this and events like this really allow us to work towards our ambitions.”

More information can be found at www.teamluke.org.uk